World War II
World War II was a war that began on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by the German military. The Second World War was a result of various factors, including the First World War and other geo-political conflicts. The two main sides were the Allies and the Axis powers. The Allies were mainly comprised of Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The United States joined in late 1941/ early 1942 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The Axis powers were comprised of Germany, Italy, and Japan. In the beginning of the war, Germany quickly seized the capital of Poland, Warsaw. Millions of Jews found themselves under Nazi rule. The Soviet Union invaded Eastern Poland, in part with the agreements in the Soviet Nazi non-agression pact. France and Britain expected a reenactment of World War I tatics. The Allied commanders also expected the Germans would attack France after the invasion of Poland. However, this was wrong, as Nazi Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April, 1940, to secure iron ore being shipped from Sweden to Germany. Denmark surrendered immediately, while Norway was conquered in two months. As Allied leaders pondered where the next attack would take place, Nazi Germany moved it's tanks through the very lightly defended territory of the Ardenne. The panzers then swiftly cut through France with it's infantry following behind. The Netherlands and Belgium were also overrun. With France neutralized, Germany began an air superiority campaign over Britain (the Battle of Britain) to prepare for an invasion. However, the air campaign failed, and the invasion of Britain was postponed indefinitely. Throughout this period, the neutral United States took measures to assist China and the Western Allies. In November 1939, the American Neutrality Act was amended to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. 1941 was a major year for World War 2, as it witnessed the invasion of the Soviet Union and the attack on Pearl Harbor, which in turn, brought the United States into the war. In 1942, the Axis advance stopped, with the Germans being pushed out of North Africa. The battle of Stalingrad was a severe defeat for the German army. The Japanese navy had been eliminated as an effictive fighting force at the battle of Midway. In 1943, Soviet offensives had eliminated any hopes for a German victory. The japanese were pushed out of New Guinea as well during 1943. In 1944, American, Britain, and Canadian forces had launched Operation Overlord, the liberation of France from Nazi rule. The Soviets launched a massive operation as well, resulting in the almost complete destruction of Geman forces in Belarus. the United States by then had also began to liberate the Philippines. In 1945, the Allies had finally entered Germany, and in May 1945, the Third Reich collapsed. The United dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, as well as the Soviet Union invading Japanese occupied Manchuria. Japanese leaders realized that the United States had a new deadly weapon, and also knew the Soviet Union was willing to bear the heavy losses if they invaded Japan. The Japanese empire surrendered, and World War 2 ended. World War Two had some of the worst atrocities ever committed in recorded history. The Holocaust had killed six million Jews, as well as four million others. It was the greatest confrontation ever. It saw the rise and fall of some totalitarisms: Nazism in Germany and Fascism in Italia. It saw new weapons: V2 missiles, new bombs and the Atomic Bomb. Origins of World War II Axis Alliance (list) The Allies (list) Belligerents Allies *United Kingdom *Soviet Union *United States *China *Poland *France *Canada *Australia *New Zealand *South Africa *Belgium *The Netherlands *Greece *Yugoslavia *Norway *etc. Axis *Germany *Japan *Italy *Hungary *Romania *Finland *Thailand *Bulgaria *Croatia *Slovakia Main characters Allies *Winston Churchill: United Kingdom *Franklin D. Roosevelt: United States *Charles de Gaulle: Free France *Joseph Stalin: Soviet Union Axis *Adolf Hitler: Germany *Benito Mussolini: Italy *Hideki Tojo: Japan Major Battles Blitzkrieg - the "lightning fast" Axis conquests of many countries such as Poland, Austria, France, etc. *Defeat of Poland, occured in 1939, land battle, German victory *Battle of France, occured in 1940, land battle, German victory *Battle of Britain, occured in 1940, aerial battle, British victory The War in the Mediterranean *The battle of El Alamein, occured in 1942, land battle, Allied victory *The battle of Anzio, occured in 1944, land battle, Allied victory *The battle of Monte Cassino, occured in 1944, land battle, Allied victory Invasion of Russia *The battle of Leningrad, occured in 1941-1944, siege, Allied (Soviet) Victory *The battle of Moscow, occured in 1941-1942, land battle, Allied (Soviet) Victory *The battle of Stalingrad, occured in 1942-1943, siege, Allied (Soviet) Victory *The battle of Kursk, occured in 1943, land battle, Allied (Soviet) Victory Germany's defeat *The Normandy Landings of D-Day, occured in 1944, land/naval battle, Allied Victory *The battle of Arnhem, occured in 1944, land battle, German Victory *The battle of Berlin, occured in 1945, land battle, Soviet Victory The War in The Pacific *The Battle of the Philippines, occured in 1941-1942, land battle, Japanese Victory *The Battle of Singapore, occured in 1942, siege, Japanese Victory *The Battle of Coral Sea, occured in 1942, naval battle, American Victory *The Battle of Guadalcanal, occured in 1942-1943, land battle, Allied (American) Victory *The Battle of Midway, occured in 1942, naval battle, Allied (American) Victory *The Battle of Leyte Gulf, occured in 1944, land battle, Allied (American) Victory *The Battle of Philippine Sea, occured in 1944, Allied (American) Victory *The Battle of Iwo Jima, occured in 1945, land battle, Allied (American) Victory *The Battle of Okinawa, occured in 1945, land battle, Allied (American) Victory pl:II wojna światowa Category:Japan Category:Great Britain Category:Germany Category:The Netherlands Category:France Category:Austria Category:China category:Wars Category:Major Battles category:World War Category:World War II